Prank herbert mowbray



F. H. MOWBRAY. MECHANICAL PIANO PLAYER AND THE LIKE. 4, APPLICATIONFILED JULY 12. 1915. RENEWED JAN. 14, 1918.

1,320,783. I v Patented N VQ 4, 1919.

- im W Zia u (on man u ANnuMPu c8 WASHINGTON. IL c..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK HERBERT MOWBRAY, 0F MAIDENHEAD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ORCHES-TRELLE COMPANY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MECHANICAL PIANO-PLAYER AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July 12, 1915, Serial No. 39,390.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, FRANK HERBERT MOWBRAY,a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Norfolk Lodge,Oldfield Road, Maidenhead, in the county of Berks, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating toMechanical PianoPlayers and the like, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to mechanical piano players or the like which areadapted to be operated pneumatically or electrically from a tracker bar,the chief object being to enable such instruments to be used withvarious kinds of perforated tune sheets.

It has hitherto been customary in the construction of pianoplayers andthe like, to house the tune sheet, the tracker bar and the take up spoolhorizontally in the action box, the movement of the tune sheet beingsubstantially vertical. The disposition of the tracker bar apertures andthe tune sheet perforations adopted as a trade standard for instrumentsof this class hereinafter referred to as horizontal tracker barinstruments, has conformed with the instrument keyboard, z'. e. thetreble perforations are located on the right hand side of the tunesheetas it travels toward the performer and is wound on the take upspool.

It has however also been proposed to employ instruments hereinafterreferred to as vertical tracker bar instruments, having the tune sheet,tracker bar and take up spool housed vertically in the action box, andso arranged that the tune sheets for use on these instruments travellaterally from right to left in front of the performer the treble halfof the perforations occupying the upper half of the tune sheet so thatthe staff notation, words of songs, annotations, or other indications onthe tune sheet, may be marked in proper relation to the musicperforations and may be read in normal sequence as the roll unwinds fromright to left in playing.

Since tune sheets for horizontal, tracker bar instruments have thetreble perforations on the right hand side of their medial line whenviewed from the front of the instrument and tune sheets for verticaltracker bar instruments have their treble perforations on the upperportions thereof, it fol lows that tune sheets for horizontal trackeroar instruments cannot be used for vertical Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919. Renewed January 14, 1918. Serial No. 211,898.

tracker bar instruments unless some arrangement be made for reversingeither the tune sheet, the tracker bar or the character of the trackerbar apertures.

Reversible tune sheets have been proposed having the staff notation,words of songs and other indications marked on the one side for use onhorizontal tracker bar instru ments, and on the other side for use onvertical tracker bar instruments. While such arrangements provide ameans for playing both classes of instruments, such tune sheets costmore to manufacture than a tune sheet marked on one side only; moreover,this arrangement requires the manufacture of new tune sheets especiallyspooled so as to be capable of reversal. None of these prior proposalshowever enables existing tune sheets or rolls manufactured for use onhorizontal tracker bar instruments to be used on vertical tracker barinstruments unless the tracker bars are capable of being setaccordingly. This is a point of considerable importance as up to thepresent time, the whole mechanical player and tune sheet industry hasbeen developed along the lines of the horizontal tracker-barinstruments, and that millions of tune sheets for instruments of thisclass are in circulation and in stock.

An attempt has been made to overcome the difliculty by providinginstruments with a pivoted or hinged tracker bar which can be turned orhinged to lie horizontally or vertically, but this form of instrumentnecessitates adopting a form of construction which extends objectionably high above the keyboard, or necessitates the placing of thetake up spool from the horizontal to the vertical position.

According to this invention the aforesaid objection is overcome byproviding the tracker bar of the instrument with two sets of connectionsbetween the various note perforations of the said tracker bar and theprimary valves and a controlling device which enables either of the saidsets of connections to be rendered operative so that tune sheetsperforated either for horizontal or vertical tracker bar instruments canbe employed.

In this manner vertical tracker bar instru ments may be played by tunesheets for horiwithout having to alter the position of the take upspool.

The aforesaid controlling device may com prise a sliding valve disposedbetween the tracker bar and the primary valves, the sliding valve beingso arranged that by a slight movement thereof the top treble aperture isplaced in communication with the bottom bass primary valve and viceversa, the connections of the tracker bar apertures being thuscompletely reversed.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect I will proceed to describe the same more fully with.reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a vertical tracker bar having the present invention appliedthereto, certain of the tubes being disconnected.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the tracker bar showing an alternativemethod of effecting the tubular connections.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1

and 2, a is the tracker bar which is provided with a single row ofapertures formed by the mouths of a series of tubular Y pieces at whosebranches are connected with the controlling valve 5. The latter membercomprises two planed metal bars Z), 5 firmly held together to preventair leakage but capable of relative sliding movement. One bar 7) isprovided with a number of apertures and nipples Z) corresponding to andconnected with the primary valves 0, 0 of the instrument. The other barI) is provided with two sets of apertures and nipples 5 b the set 5'thereof being connected by straight tubes (Z to the tracker bar a, togive a normal reading, and the other set 6 being cross connected bycurved tubes cl to the tracker bar to give a reversed reading. Theaforesaid connections with the apertures in the tracker bar are effectedthrough the respective branches of the tubular Y pieces a pertainingthereto. The bar I) of the controlling valve is operated by a lever e,which is pivoted on a shaft a suitably disposed behind the tracker bar.One arm e of the lever e is connected to a depending lug e disposed atone extremity of the bar I). A similar lug c is provided at the otherextremity of the said bar and is connected to the shaft 6 by means of alink or radius rod 6 The bar 5 may therefore be moved relatively to thebar 5 so as to bring one or other of the sets of apertures 23*, 5 intoregister with the single set of apertures 5 When the apertures b are inregister with. apertures Z1 there will be normal connection through thevalve 5 but when the apertures Z) register with the apertures b as shownin Fig. 1, the character of the tracker bar apertures is entirelyreversed, the 88th vertical tracker bar instruments.

The same result may be obtained by connecting the tracker bar nipples toa single set of apertures in the bar Z) of the valve and by ei'nployingnormal and cross connections between the two sets of apertures in thebar 5 of the valve and the primary valves 0 of the instrument. Such anarrangement is shown in Fig. 3 and it will be noted that each primaryvalve 0 is provided with two nipple ducts constituted by the branches ofa tubular Y piece f. f and f are the two sets of nipples for theapertures in the stationary bar 6 of the controlling valve. The nipplesare connected to one set of branches of the Y pieces f to obtain normalreading and the nipples f are cross connected to the other set ofbranches of the Y pieces to obtained a reversed ac tion. from thetracker bar. F, f are the nipples in the bar 7) of the controlling valveand they are directly connected to the corresponding nipples j of thetracker bar. The bar 5 is operated by the lever c in a similar manner tothe arrangement last described so as to bring the nipples f intoregister with one or other of the sets of nipples f and f in the bar I).

The controlling valve 6 need not necessarily be formed of two flat bars,for obviously the construction may be altered and any other form ofvalve best suited to the I instrument with which it used may beemployed.

That I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis 1. In a mechanical piano player or the like, the combination with thevalves of the instrument of a tracker bar having one set of noteapertures, two sets of connections between the various note aperturesand said valves, and a controlling device to enable either of the saidsets of connections to be operated independently of the other set sothat tune sheets perforated either for horizontal or vertical trackerbar instruments can be employed.

2. In a mechanical piano player or the like, the combination with thevalves of the instrument of a tracker bar having one set of noteapertures, two sets of connections between the various note aperturesand said valves, and a sliding valve disposed between the tracker barand said valves of the instrument which is so arranged that by amovement thereof the connections of the tracker bar apertures with saidvalves of the instrument are completely reversed and operatedindependently of one another. V

3. 111a mechanical piano player or the like, the combination with thevalves of the instrument of two bars capable of relative movement, asingle set of nipples on one of said bars, tubes for connecting saidnipples to said valves, two superposed sets of nipples in the other bar,a tracker bar having one set of note apertures, a tubular Y piececonnected to each of said note apertures and tubes for connecting thebranches of the said tubular Y pieces with the superposed sets ofnipples in one of said bars.

4:. In a mechanical piano player or the like, the combination with thevalves of the instrument of two bars capable of relative movement, asingle set of nipples on one of said bars, tubes for connecting saidnipples to said valves, two superposed sets of nipples on the other bar,means for displacing the latter bar so that one or other of the sets ofnipples thereon will register with the set of nipples on the other bar,a tracker bar having one set of note apertures, a tubular Y-piececonnected to each of said note perforations, tubes for connecting oneset of branches of the said. Y-pieces with one of the superposed sets ofnipples on the displaceable bar, and tubes for connecting the other setof branches of the said Y-pieces with the other set of nipples on thedisplaceable bar, so that the direction of the scale of the tracker whenone set of connections is made is reversed when the other set ofconnections is made.

5. In a mechanical piano player or the like, the combination with thevalves of the instrument of two bars capable of relative movement, twosuperposed sets of nipples on one of said bars, a tubular Y piececonnected to each of said valves, tubes for connecting the branches ofthe said Y pieces with the two superposed sets of nipples on one of saidbars, a single set of nipples on the other of said bars, means fordisplacing the latter bar so that the set of nipples thereon willregister with one or other of the superposed sets of nipples on theother bar, a tracker bar having a single set of note apertures, andtubes for connecting said apertures with the nipples on the aforesaiddisplaceable bar.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination with means for actuating theseveral note sounding mechanisms of the instrument, a tracker bar, oneset of note-playing elements on said tracker bar for cooperation withthe note sheet as it travels over the bar, two sets of connectionsbetween the various note-playing elements and the means for actuatingthe note sounding mechanisms, and a controlling device to enable eitherof said sets of connections to be operated inde pendently of the otherso that note sheets constructed either for horizontal or verticaltracker bar instruments may be used.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination with the primary valves ofthe instrument, a tracker bar, one set of note playing elements on saidtracker bar for cooperation with the note sheet as it passes thereover,two sets of connections between the various note playing elements andthe primary valves, and a controlling device to enable either of saidsets of connections to be operated independently of the other, so thatnote sheets constructed either for horizontal or vertical tracker barinstruments can be employed.

8. In a mechanical piano-player or the like, the combination with itsvalves, of a tracker-bar with its set of apertures; two sets ofreversely arranged connections, each set of which is adapted tooperatively connect the tracker-bar apertures with said valves but inrelatively reversed relationship; and a control device operative tobring into action either set of said connections.

9. In a mechanical piano-player or the like, the combination with theseveral noteplaying actions, of a tracker-bar with a set of note-playingelements ffor cooperation with the note-sheet as it travels over thebar; two sets of reversely arranged connections, each set of which isadapted to operatively connect the trackerbar elements with thenote-playing actions but in relatively reversed relationship from theother set; and a control device operative to bring into operation eitherset of said connections.

FRANK HERBERT MOWBRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G."

